"Enthusiasm finds the opportunities, and energy makes the most of them." 
                                                                                                        ~Henry Hoskins

Chest Exercise - Decline Push-Up: Off Bench (Inter./Adv.)

Primary Muscle Group: Chest
Secondary: Triceps

Breathe, Control, Concentrate on Form.

1. With feet on bench, chest a few inches from floor, push up until arms are straight.
2. Be sure that you are hands to the sides but in line with your shoulders.
3. Do not allow your midsection to sink. Come down slowly as you concentrate on keeping your core tight, and body aligned during both the up and down phase.
4. Push up slowly and repeat.    

Suggestion: Perform 3 sets. Complete 8 to 12 repetitions. ~SG.

Holiday Recipes

Don’t lose hair trying to figure out what new dish to add to your family’s Holiday dinner on top of the stress of shopping. Consider adding the two mouth-watering, yet healthy low-fat dishes below, for a change and smiles all-round the dinner table!  Enjoy! ~SG.

Glazed Ham with Apricots 

Yes, ham can be the centerpiece of a healthy meal — just choose a piece that's lean (ask for shank), low-sodium, and smoked (to reduce fat). Amp up the flavor with apricots and
mustard-marmalade glaze. 

Mouth watering Glazed Ham!

RECIPE & DIRECTIONS

Serves: 16
Prep Time: 35 min
Cook Time: 2 hr 15 min
Oven Temp: 325

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (7-pound) fully cooked bone-in smoked half ham
• 1 package(s) (6-ounce) dried apricot halves
• 2 tablespoon(s) whole cloves
• 1/2 cup(s) orange marmalade or apricot jam
• 2 tablespoon(s) country-style Dijon mustard with seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. With knife, remove skin and trim all but 1/8 inch fat from ham. Secure apricots with cloves to fat side of ham in rows, leaving some space between apricots. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in large roasting pan (17" by 11 1/2"); add 1 cup water. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake 2 hours.
2. After ham has baked 1 hour and 45 minutes, prepare glaze: In 1-quart saucepan, heat marmalade and mustard to boiling on medium-high. Remove foil from ham and carefully brush with some glaze. Continue to bake ham 30 to 40 minutes longer or until meat thermometer reaches 135 degrees F, brushing with glaze every 15 minutes. Internal temperature of ham will rise 5 to 10 degrees F upon standing. (Some apricots may fall off into pan as you glaze.)
3. Transfer ham to cutting board; cover and let stand 20 minutes for easier slicing. Slice ham and serve with apricots from pan.

Accordian Potatoes

For seriously satisfying spuds, try these vitamin-rich reds. Creamier than russets and lower in starch, all they need is a drizzle of olive oil before roasting; sprinkle with parsley and
thyme and serve.

Accordian Potatos, a wonderful complement to your Holiday Dinner!

RECIPE & DIRECTIONS

Serves: 8 
Yields: 8 side-dish servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 37 min
Oven Temp: 450

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 large (8 ounces each) red potatoes
• 2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon(s) chopped fresh thyme leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Carefully slice each potato thinly without cutting all the way through.
2. Place potatoes on microwave-safe dish and cover with waxed paper. Cook in microwave on High 12 to 15 minutes or until easily pierced with tip of knife.
3. Transfer potatoes to metal baking pan. Carefully drizzle oil between slices. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 tea¬spoon coarsely ground black pepper. Roast in oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer potatoes to platter; sprinkle with herbs. 

Recipes: Courtesy of Good Housekeeping.
Photographs: James Baigrie

Blood Disorders and Public Health

America's public health system encompasses governments, healthcare providers, and others working to improve population health. The lack of a public health framework for many blood disorders, both rare and common, is a particular concern.

• For example, even a relatively common blood disorder such as venous thromboembolism (VTE), with a U.S. prevalence of at least 1 million people, lacks an established mechanism for surveillance. Little is definitively known about the magnitude of the public health burden of VTE. Although VTE is an important cause of mortality and may account for more than 100,000 deaths per year, fewer than 40,000 deaths associated with VTE are recorded  each year in vital records. That underestimate reflects in part the low use of autopsies, which are required to detect many fatal pulmonary emboli.
• Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder present in about 1 million Americans, although few individuals at any point in time have symptomatic iron overload disease. The opportunity to detect iron overload at an early stage and intervene through therapeutic phlebotomy to prevent the development of clinical disease, specifically liver cirrhosis and cancer, remains a challenge.

• At least 3 million Americans have sickle cell trait. They are carriers of the sickle cell gene mutation, also known as Hb AS, but the extent to which the carrier status poses health threats is not well established.
• In the U.S., rare diseases are defined as disorders affecting fewer than 200,000 people (about 1 in 1500 people), although in the European Union, the cutoff is a prevalence of 1 in 2000 people. Medications that are targeted to rare diseases are known as orphan drugs. The rare blood disorders considered in the remaining papers in this supplement are bleeding or coagulation disorders, the most common of which are hemophilia A and B, and the hemoglobinopathies: sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
• Globally, sickle cell disease and thalassemia are not rare, with more than 300,000 affected births each year. In the U.S., it is estimated that perhaps 100,000 people live  with sickle cell disease and a few thousand with clinically noteworthy thalassemia.

We propose a framework for public health to address rare conditions that affect relatively small numbers of people and are often neglected in public health programs.

Blood disorders have a vital importance to public health and vice versa. Whether relatively common or relatively rare, people with blood disorders have health challenges specific to their conditions that require knowledgeable healthcare providers, access to screening and diagnostic testing, and information to help them manage their conditions. Public health systems are responsible for the assessment of the frequency and seriousness of these conditions, the appropriateness of screening tests and preventive services, and barriers to access evidence-based services. Public health professionals should be involved in activities to inform and influence policy development in order to ensure access to cost-effective services that improve health outcomes. Public health is not just about intervening to reduce the burden of common diseases and exposures but also about giving appropriate attention to the needs of people with rare disorders.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsBloodDisorders/

Provided Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) "Blood Disorders and Publick Health"
Source: Grosse SG, James AH, Lloyd-Puryear MA, Atrash HK. A Public Health Framework for Blood Disorders. Am J Prev Med 2011; 41(6S4): S319–S323.

A Note from Sharon Gayle

Dear GayleFORCE Fitness Readers,

I thought it would be nice to report back to you on the 2011 WNBF World Championships with a selection of my favorite photographs and the added, personal touch of a short video below.

Up-close and personal with Sharon Gayle
Watch and listen-in here!

Due to popular demand by GayleFORCE Fitness readers and clients,  I will be including video presentations to the GayleFORCE Fitness Newsletter, Website, and BLOG.  I do believe the video's will be a great addition, and will allow me to expand on specific articles, discuss upcoming projects, announce events, and much more!  Enjoy! ~SG

 
Photographs of Sharon Gayle at the 2011 WNBF World Championships

 
Sharon Gayle - Stepping out confidently!

Sharon Gayle - Beaming!

Sharon Gayle - Looking good going and coming!

Sharon Gayle - During the T-Walk.

Sharon Gayle - Thanks to Byron for this great shot!

Sharon Gayle - Finals Gown Segment.

Sharon Gayle with her good friend Pat. Always at my side!

Sharon Gayle - Visible in a partial line-up during the Comparison Round.

Sharon Gayle - In transition.

Sharon Gayle - Composed!

I hope you liked this selection of images. It's been a long year, but one which I think culminated with my bringing a good look to the stage; in addition to gaining experience, and making great connections along the way.  Thanks again to all of you who sent in emails, called, and came out to support me at this years World Championships. ~Sharon Gayle 

All photographs courtesy of Sharon Gayle - GayleFORCE™ Fitness & Lifestyle Enhancement.

2011 INBF Ameteur World Championships

November 12, 2011 | Martin Luther King Campaus, New York, NY.

Best Body Bikini Short
1st Angelina Mullins – Hoboken, NJ
2nd Tracey Staehle – Simsbury, CT
3rd Tamara N. Brod – Audubon, PA
4th Gina Sullivan – Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
5th Mary Warren – N. Babylon, NY
6th Veronica Thomas – Stamford, CT 7th Andrea Miele – Flushing, NY
8th Claire Morgan – Sydney, Australia
9th Elle Ip – Sydney, Australia
10th Prisca Maidlinger – Wetzikon, Switzerland
11th Robin Scott – New Rochelle, NY

Best Body Bikini Short
1st Donna Kratz – Seven Valleys, PA
2nd Jenine Ditzler – Niagra Falls, NY
3rd Alina Alexe – Switzerland
4th Grace Tohl – Adelaide, Australia
5th Petra Migani – Switzerland
6th Maureen Meglio – Melville, NY
7th Nina Fiedler – Frankfurt, Germany
8th Stephanie Gregory – Stratford, CT
9th Christine Cruz – Hempstead, NY

Women’s Bodybuilding
1st Anna Millington – West Yorkshire, England
2nd Vicky Turner – Victoria
3rd Shanique Green – Kingston Jamaica
4th Gwen Carbone – Victoria, Australia
5th Julie Sleight – Poughkeepsie, NY
6th Pam Kantzavelos – Adelaide, Australia
7th Ann Kuper – Dortmund, Germany
8th Darlene Tresca – Monroe, NJ

Open Figure Short
1st Sally Allgaier – Clarence, NY
2nd Jamie Scarlett – Avon, CT
3rd Randi Alejandro – Tannersville, PA
4th Tamara Brod – Audubon, PA
5th Natasha Knoll – Adelaide, Australia
6th Gina Sullivan – Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
7th Dana Cirlinceone – Monroe Twp, NJ
8th Maria Londono – Old Tappan, NJ
9th Veronica Thomas – Stamford, CT
10th Prisca Maidlinger – Wetzikon, Switzerland
11th Elle IP – Sydney, Australia
12th Olga Broit – Old Bridge, NJ
13th Julie Harris – Bellingham, MA
14th Jennifer Kaye – Marlboro, NJ
15th Robin Scott – New Rochelle, NY

Open Figure Tall
1st Vicky Canavan – Melborne, Victoria, Australia
2nd Charlotte Hailey – NSW, Australia
3rd Alina Alexe – Switzerland
4th Jessica Davies – Elwood, Victoria, Australia
5th Petra Migani – Wetzikon, Switzerland
6th Julie Edgley – East Melbourne, Australia
7th Nania Soliman – Palisades, NJ
8th Loretta Jara – Tappan, NY
9th Joane Theodore – Bridgeport, CT
10th Maureen Meglio – Melville, NY
11th Barbara Sreckovic – Wilton, CT
13th Jenny Saez – North Bergen, NJ
14th Stephanie Gregory – Stratford, CT

Ms. Fit Body Short
1st Natsha Knoll – Australia
2nd Sally Allgaier – Clarence, NY
3rd Samantha Draper – Kew, Victoria, Australia
4th Vicky Turner – Carrum, Vicotoria Australia
5th Lesley Maxwell – Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
6th Penny Koster – Richmond, Victoria, Australia
7th Barbara Sreckovic – Wilton, CT
8th Julie Harris – Bellingham, MA
9th Louise Vu – Duy Ormond, Victoria, Australia

Ms. Fit Body Tall
1st Nadia Robertson – Mildura, Victoria, Australia
2nd Vicky Canavan – Victoria, Australia
3rd Charlotte Hailey – NSW, Australia
4th Deborah Marcy – Rochester, NY
5th Danielle Chambers – West Yorkshire, England
6th Jessica Davies – Elwood, Victoria, Australia
7th Kristy Ann Ray – Darwin, Australia
8th Julie Edgley – East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
9th Effie Quinones – Browns Mills, NJ

Teen Men
1st Tayarr Foust – Strattford, CT
2nd Samuel Swann – Stamford, Lincolnshire, England
3rd Jan Sopiak – Sarasota, FL

Masters Men Over 40 to 45
1st Martin Portner – Switzerland
2nd Paul Todd – London, England
3rd Jorgen Hohmann – Herborn, Germany
4th Akihiko Goto – Hatsukaichi, Japan
5th Eric Oksa – NSW, Australia
6th Giovvanni Petosa – Moehlin, Switzerland
7th Eugene Hart-Bklyn, NY
8th Alec Hilger – New Haven, CT
9th Tom Amr Bibars – Coram, NY

Masters Men Over 45
1st Peter Clark – Middlesex, England
2nd Robert Fulton – New Haven, CT
3rd Richard Elliott – Bridgeport, CT
4th Alberto Hernandez – East Stroudsburg, PA
5th Richard Testaccio – Staten Island, NY
6th Lance Downer – Phoenix, AZ

Masters Over 60
Lance Downer – Raeford, NC

Masters Men Over70
Ed Cole – Greeley, PA

Bantamweights
1st Andrew Roberts – Adelaide, S. Australia
2nd Ian Duckett – West Yorkshire, England
3rd Urs Zumstein – Switzerland
4th Roman Kaegi – Switzerland
5th Akihiko Goto – Hatsukaichi, Japan
6th Nicholas Trickett – Warsaw, NY
7th Jay Orillaza – Bklyn, NY
8th Alexander Thomas – Germany
9th Jonathan Tabaka – Darwin, Australia
10th Ed Cole – Greeley, PA

Lightweights
1st Eric Seyfried – West Islip
2nd Matt Stolz – Davie, FL
3rd Jon Smyth – Newport Rd, Island
4th Nicolas Rojas Garcia – Heidelberg, Germany
5th Korey Gonzalez – Brooklyn, NY
6th Victor Velazquez – Port Chester, NY
7th Alberto Hernandez – East Stroudsburg, PA
8th Luis Aucay – Portchester, NY
9th Marco Cruezer – Switzerland
10th Richard Elliott – Bridgeport, CT
11th Gael Salvant – Elmont, NY
12th Rey Ramos – Orange, CT

Middleweights
1st Levi Burge – Kitty Hawk, NC
2nd Mark Oakes – Ruby, Warwickshire, UK
3rd Asif Javed – East Elmhurst, NY
4th Duncan Rankine – Kurrulta PK, South Australia
5th Paul Todd – London England
6th Peter Clark – Middlesex, England
7th Doug Sebes – Bala Cynwd, PA
8th Hector Delnido – Darwin, Australia
9th Leon Goldson – Bronx, NY
10th John Gioffre – Jersey City, NJ
11th Stephen Burke – Stratford, CT
12th Nicholson Joseph Jr. – Brooklyn, NY
13th Eric Matos Pichardo – Queens, NY

Light-heavyweights
1st John Heaton – West Yorkshire, England
2nd Gavin Gibson – Bedfordshire, UK
3rd Sebastian Stitz – Switzerland
4th Martin Portner – Switzerland
5th Rodger Clarke – Peekskill, NY
6th Serreste Barton-Hossanah – Brooklyn, NY
7th Paul Kolbusz- Lake Grove, NY
8th Odell Purifoy – Brooklyn, NY
9th Eugene Hart-Bklyn, NY
10th Matthew Towers – Mount Sinai, NY
11th Tom Amr Bibars – Coram, NY
12th Alec Hilger- New Haven, CT

Heavyweights
1st Evan Godbee-Sydney Australia
2nd Haris Karimi – College Point, NY
3rd Tishay Johnson – Windsor, CT
4th Robert Fulton – New Haven, CT
5th Erik Oksa- NSW, Australia
6th Philipp Rauscher- Metzingen, Australia

* Denotes an Overall Winner

No photographs provided.
Results provided by the WNBF - World Natural Bodybuilding Federation - www.WNBF.net

2011 WNBF World Championships

November 12, 2011 | Martin Luther King Campus, New York, NY.

Here are the results you have been waiting for!

PRO MS. EXERCISE FIGURE SHORT

Overall Winner $2000 Karen Monetti – Somerville, NJ*
2nd $400 Liz Marcantonio-Worchester, MA
3rd $200 Kori Propst – Evansville, IN
4th Melissa Kelley – Grafton, MA
5th Melissa Scott – BKLYN, NY
6th Debbie Le Cuyur – Leominster, MA
7th Tara Martin – Whitestone, NY
8th Tracie Euker – Middletown, NY
9th Jennifer Helmke – Pomona, NY
10th Christine Oxley – Newburg, IN
11th Anne M. Glynn – Madison, WI
12th Nicole Papachristos – North Plainfield, NJ
13th Tara Mary Segundo – NYC
14th Natalie Benjamin – NYC
PRO MS. EXERCISE FIGURE TALL
1st $1000 Nicole Markos
2nd $400 Tracey Rabbitt
3rd $200 Amy Linas Lynch
4th Jacqueline Zediker – Indianapolis, IN
5th Lesley Maxwell – Melbourne, Victoria
6th Sofia Rodriguez – San Antonio, TX
7th Jennifer Morakis -Youngston, Ohio
8th Donna Kratz – Seven Valleys, PA
9th Rozanne Pyper – Red Deer, Alberta Canada
10th Sharon Gayle – NYC
11th Sherri Caraccia – Bronx, NY
12th Annalisa Ghirotti – Cesena, Italy
13th Suzanne Barlas – Crownsville, MD
14th Frederica Lovelace – BKLYN, NY
15th Tamara Garvie – Calgary, Alberta

PRO WOMEN BODYBUILDING LIGHTWEIGHTS

1st $1000 Brenda Rahe – Sheboygan, WI
2nd $600 Kristin Fonseca – Plymouth, MA
3rd $400Cara L. Normandeau – Holyoke, MA
4th Sheila Vieira – Falls River, MA
5th Claire Barrows – Bardbados
6th Karen Mason – Greenford, United Kingdom
7th Marina Cornwall – S. Hampton, England
8th Jacqueline Weber – Aberdeen, MD
9th Tracey Veregan – Milwaukee, WI
10th Deb Gudowicz – Green Bay, Wisconsin
11th Sherri Miller – St. Albert, Canada
PRO WOMEN BODYBUILDING HEAVWEIGHTS
1st $4000 Cheryl Myers – West Yorkshire England
2nd $600 Helen Stack – Slough, Berkshire, England
3rd $400 Toni West – Washington, PA
4th Kathy Unger – Norwood, NJ
5th Jennie Napoli – Jamesburg, NJ
6th Erin Duggan – Avon, CT
7th Stephanie Foley – Austintown, OH
8th Sharise Odunsi – Buffalo, NY
9th Kathy Mc Clare – Fairport, NY
10th Leslie Crook – Windham, NH
11th Roanna McLenahan – Lacombe, Alberta Canada
12th Claire Holston – Milford, NH

PRO MS. FIT BODY

Overall Winner – $1000 Tracey Rabbitt*
2nd $500 Kori Propst – Evansville, IN
3rd $250 Kathy Mc Clare – Fairport, NY
4th Kristin Fonseca – Plymouth, MA
5th Melissa Kelley – Grafton, MA
6th Liz Marcantonio – Worchester, MA
7th Debbie LeCuyur – Leominster, MA
8th Melissa Scott – BKLYN, NY
9th Erin Duggan – Avon, CT
10th Marina Cornwall – South Hampton, England
11th Tracie Euker – Middletown, NY
12th Suzanne Barlas – Crownsville, MD
13th Rozanne Pyper – Red Deer, Alberta Canada
14th Christine Oxley – Newburgh, IN
15th Annalisa Ghirotti – Cesena, Italy
16th Natalie Benjamin – BKLYN, NY
17th Tara Marie Segundo – NYC
18th Fredricka Lovelace – BKLYN, NY

WNBF PRO MEN LIGHTWEIGHTS

1st $1000 Lenardo Casagrande – Gubbio, Italy
2nd $750 Anthony Langevin – Hamilton, NJ
3rd $500 Enzo Nardino – San Severo, Italy
4th Ulysses Fowler – Fitchburg, MA
5th Shawn Blassie – Affton, MO
6th Ivor Brown – Bklyn, NY
7th Tony Ruffin – Suitland, MD
8th Patrick Harris – Barbados
9th Will Vidro – Hamden, CT
10th Akinobu Nakano – Kurosecho, Japan

PRO MEN MIDDLEWEIGHTS

1st $1000 Shevon Cunningham – NY
2nd $750 Greg Rando – Wakefield, MA
3rd $500 Brandon Greenwood – Halifax, UK
4th Vaughan Twigger – Christenburg, VA
5th Paul Itatomasi – Rochester, NY
6th Reggie Allen – Forestville, MD
7th Eric White – Chaplin, SC
8th Seth Baughman – INDPLS, IN
9th Joe Farese – Cranford, NJ
10th Paleari Francesco – Taramto, Italy
11th Charles Fuller – Buda, TX
12th Gilroy Jouavel – Grand Cayman
13th Adrain Hope – Canada
14th Wayne Palmer

PRO MEN HEAVYWEIGHTS

Overall Winner $6000 Richard Gozdecki – England*
2nd Martin Daniels -Greenville, SC
3rd Kurt Weidner – Blacksburg, VA
4th Rodney Heliare – Pooler, GA
5th Robert Peacock – Cleveland, Ohio
6th Gerry Ruck – Manchester, CT
7th Bertrand Ndawele – Switzerland
8th Alun Davies – Wales, United Kingdom
9th William Morris – Barbados
10th Sharif Reid – Somerset, NJ
11th Philip Swing – Douglaston, NY
12th Don Robinson – Phoenix, AZ

* Denotes Overall Winner

No competitor photographs provid.
Results provided by WNBF - World Natural Bodybuilding Federation. www.WNBF.net
-----------------------------------------------------

UKDFBA (WNBF) EUROPE PRO CUP

October 15, 2011 | United Kingdom, Europe

Overall Winner $3,000 – Andreas Plate* / Germany

2nd Place $2,000 – Miles Stovall / USA

3rd Place $1,000 – Bertrand Nwadele / Switzerland

4th Place – Daniel Gildner / Germany

5th Place – Wayne Braddock / United Kingdom

6th Place – Gerald Piel / USA

*Overall Winner

Source: UKDFBA.net - UKDFBA Europe Pro Cup 

UKDFBA Championships

October 18, 2011 - United Kingdom

Richard Gozdecki won the Heavyweight and Overall UK title at the UKDFBA Championships in September and will be making his Pro debut at the 2011 World Championships.

Richard Gozdecki, Heavyweight and Overall in the UK at the UKDFBA Championships